JV Patriots End Losing Streak With Win In WIC

Dylen Hege Closing out the month of December, coach Chris Bault and his Owen Valley junior varsity boys’ basketball team suffered a 50-36 loss at home to Bedford North Lawrence.

The Stars held a commanding 19-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, enjoyed a 29-14 advantage at the half and led 30-20 through three quarters of play.

“I thought we came out kind of flat. We can’t do that against good teams,” coach Bault said. “After the first quarter, we played right with them and played hard. Seth Sparks played very well for us.”

Sparks led the way for the Patriots, coming off of the bench to score eight points. Forward Casey Roberts tallied seven points, while Matthew Mahoney added six and Nolan King five. Dylen Hege dropped in two buckets for four points, while Ethan Wood also scored four points.

After the holiday break, the Patriots traveled to Bloomington High School South where they suffered a 51-35 setback.

OV trailed 14-7 at the end of the first quarter and by eighteen, 31-13, at the half. The Patriots continued to struggle offensively in the second half, falling behind 43-21 to begin the fourth quarter.

“I thought South was a very good basketball team,” coach Bault said. “We played hard, but we just couldn’t knock down any shots.”

One Patriot who did connect on the court was Hege, scoring a career-high 11 points, followed by seven from Austin Hunter and six points from Matthew Mahoney.

King scored four points in the loss, while Roberts added three and OV received two points each from Sparks and Brendon Mahoney.

Getting back to the hardwood just two days later, the Patriots regrouped for a Western Indiana Conference road trip to Brazil where they defeated host Northview, 46-39.

“I thought Northview was a very good, big and physical team,” coach Bault noted. “I thought we came out and played very hard and had a lot of kids do a lot of things well.”

OV opened the contest with a balanced scoring attack, but trailed 10-9 after one period. By the half, the Patriots had fallen behind by three, 20-17.

In the third quarter, the Patriots picked up the defensive pressure, limiting the host Knights to just five points while scoring 13 and taking a 30-25 lead heading into the final frame.

The Patriots were led in scoring by Hege who notched a career high 12 points, followed by nine from King and seven from Evan Wood.

“Evan Wood played well for us on both ends of the floor, and Dylen Hege and Nolan King did a good job defensively and by taking care of the basketball,” coach Bault added. “The game went back and forth and the kids deserved to win.

Brendon Mahoney and Austin Hunter each tallied six points in the win, while Matthew Mahoney knocked down a three, Roberts added two and Sparks chipped in a free throw for one point.

OV will be back in action Thursday, January 12, on the road at Brown County. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.